10 Creative Ways to Stay Warm in a Car That Has No Heat

If you don’t have heat in your car and the temperatures drop, you could be in for a very uncomfortable ride. Here are 10 ways to combat the cold in your car.

1 / 10

Photo: Love the Wind/Shutterstock

Start Your Vehicle Early

Even if your car doesn’t have heat, if you start up your car a solid 10 to 15 minutes before you plan on getting in, the engine will add heat under the hood and with the fan turned on it will warm up the inside of the vehicle by a few degrees.

Buy a Plug-In Seat Warmer

Just because your car isn’t fancy enough to have built-in seat warmers (along with not having heat!), doesn’t mean you can’t have a warm seat. Purchase an after-market seat cover to help thaw out and warm up you and your car while you drive.

Install a Block Heater

If you install a block heater on your engine, which plugs into a household outlet, it will warm your engine as well as vital fluids, despite the frigid temps. The block heater will both help the engine components work better while also heating up the engine more quickly and helping to warm up the passenger compartment.

Purchase a Heated Hat

According to Harvard Health, there’s little subcutaneous fat for insulation in the head. “As a result, even if the rest of your body is nicely wrapped up, if your head is uncovered you’ll lose lots of body heat — potentially up to 50 per cent of it — in certain cold-weather conditions.” If a regular hat isn’t cutting it, upgrade to an electric one!

8 / 10

Photo: Kristen Prahl/Shutterstock

Keep Wool Blankets in the Car

If you need an extra layer despite being bundled up, be sure you have blankets in your car. Wool is a good insulating fabric because it traps air.

Get a Steering Wheel Warmer

You need your hands to drive, but when hot air isn’t blowing out from your car’s vents, they’re likely to get very stiff and cold. Plug a steering wheel warmer into your car’s power socket. Some wheel warmers automatically release a temperature of 35° C to 45° C to warm up your hands.

10 / 10

Photo: HotHands

Stash Disposable Heating Packets

Keep some single-use, disposable hand and feet warming packets in your car for unexpected col weather if you don’t have heat in your car.

Alexa is an experienced lifestyle and news writer, currently working with Reader's Digest, Shape Magazine, and various other publications. She loves writing about her travels, health, wellness, home decor, food and drink, fashion, beauty, and scientific news. Follow her traveling adventures on Instagram: @living_by_lex, send her a message: [email protected], and check out her website: livingbylex.com